What to do on a chilly sunny day with your child..Fairy Houses..

Wow the sun is out you all.. Yippee. ! 

I was thinking about what I used to do as a child and then it dawned on me... Hey why not remind everyone about how much fun it is to build fairy houses with you children..

With most of you all that I know ... Your little peanuts are so tiny that they may need some help.. If they are really small I suggest you keep it very simple..

Spend some time collecting some things you might like to put into your brownie or fairy house and do not forget to bring a penny or something bright and colorful :)

Some "hard core' fairy house builders use only what they find right there on the spot.. 

I say hey... do what ever feels good to you.. I have seen some amazing fairy villages while hiking on the coast of Mendocino ... what a thrill .. a total joy that someone leaves behind for others to enjoy..

You must keep in mind that sometime "trolls " do come and wipe out your work.. but fairies just fly away and whisper for you that it is time to build a new place for them to come and play with you..

I have found that bases of trees are very nice... there are many different kinds of fairies and the safest for children are the tree... avoiding Poison Oak which does grow around rocks and trees as well as waking up critters like gopher snakes on a warm day or scorpions.. so .. be choosey... ???

I loved this game and still play it with some of my friends... Have fun with these photos and send me some of your fairy house photos to my facebook... I will post them on my blog... 

Older kids can spend more time creating but the little ones sort of just there for the 3 min experience.. If your lucky.. However returning to the back yard or the hike out in Brooktrails par course to find your little fairy house still there.. Is very rewarding... I like this even more so then :Easter Egg Hunting "

One other idea... Is more complicated but very very fun...

Make them ahead of time with some other mommas while the babies are at a play group.. 

Then surprise your little ones with a fairy walk.. ! here is a good article from a blog I found about this very subject... I think introducing this to your child is a wonderful way to increase more out door play... 

A Tiny Home Among the Mosses: Building Fairy Houses With Children

(Photo from cover of "Fairy Houses...Everywhere!")

You're hiking on a winding path through the trees, taking in all the shades of green and the sounds of birds and squirrels, when something suddenly catches your eye. There, at the base of a giant tree with a little rivulet of water flowing by is a tiny hut made of fir boughs and bark, no more than a foot tall. The little stepping stone path leading up to the entrance is so inviting, and the little leaf cups and bowls look as though they were set up for an afternoon forest luncheon. You can't help but wonder who must live here and call this home. It sets your imagination to wandering.

This is the surprise I imagine people finding when they discover one of the many fairy houses my children and I have built in the woods and along the seashore over the years. I spent countless hours as a child building little houses and villages from sticks, leaves, and bark, and was delighted to rediscover this fun pastime with my own children. We definitely had a turning point of inspiration where they grew more elaborate when we discovered Barry and Tracy Kane's book (first photo is the cover), Fairy Houses...Everywhere and their short, sweet video, Kristen's Fairy House. We have stopped and built them on hikes in the woods alongside the trail out of branches, bark, pinecones and sticks. We have built them on the beach with driftwood, pebbles, dried seaweed, and shells. Half the fun lies in picking a location. A tiny winter rivulet of water or a pool formed by heavy rains make lovely rivers and lakes beside which a house may dwell. We even started an entire fairy village in a flower bed in our yard with little huts, paths, and secret abalone shell pools. We planted little flowering mosses and elfin thyme amongst the houses, and I think one could plant an entire miniature fairy garden with delicate little flowers. At Halloween we always turn one pumpkin into a fairy house with windows, a little door, moss carpet, and stick furniture. In the winter we make one with fir boughs and holly on our front porch and we light a candle in it on long chilly evenings.

It's a fun project to do outside that engages children and adults in the smaller microcosm of nature around them. Instead of looking at the views of far off hills or the forest's edge, you may find yourself scanning the forest floor with keen eyes for just the right stick or bit of moss to add that finishing touch to your creation. Some parents have told me they would love to build fairy houses, but their child doesn't believe in faeries. For that scientific-minded child, may I suggest you build toad, chipmunk or snail houses. They certainly can't deny the existence of these abundant forest creatures, and the project would be equally fun and for all purposes the same. The experience would be equally magical. I was one of those children who had not really heard a lot about faeries, and didn't give them much thought. My little structures were often built with frogs in mind.

Another exciting aspect of building these little houses is coming back later and seeing if they're still there. The seaside fairy house we built one January was still there when we returned a year later, only a little ruffled from winter storms. We went on a hike along the China Creek trail at Washburne State Park last month, and came upon the basic frame of a fairy house we built along the trail three years ago! The kids were so excited to see their handiwork withstanding time and the elements. Backyard fairy houses are fun to spruce up and work on in the spring. Children seem to enjoy the jobs of clearing away leaves and re-arranging little acorn cap bowls on stone tables. They take great pride in their caretaking and small-scale housekeeping.

So, if you should ever find your children bored on a nature hike or camping trip, send them out to round up materials and get them busy with construction. It will keep them occupied and out of mischief. It's good for your inner child too. You may all find yourselves spending hours setting up and imagining an entire little world among the mosses.

Here is a little fairy song from Kindermusik for you all. We sang it during our Village Dew Drop Semester... I love this song.. You can sing it while you build your houses together...:)

White Coral Bells upon a slender stalk

Lilies of the Valley deck my garden walk

O don't you wish that You could hear them ring?

That will only happen when the Fairies sing...

Tra La La You all..

Love Love Love

Miss Mana

Have Fun You All 

Here is a photo of my sweetie granddaughter and I after our first chocolate chip cookie baking party...